CARNATIC MUSIC

Carnatic Music, referred to as "Classical Music"
in South
India , is a very old tradition. Traditional Carnatic music
consisting of hundreds of ragas is a rich treat to all music lovers. Most
of these songs are Hindu devotional in nature, with melody as the basic
structure and are enjoyed by almost anybody with taste.

History Of Carnatic Music
The Carnatic Music grammar is based on Melakartha Raga System prior to
which Tamil music grammar revailed. Melakartha was introduced by
Venkatamaki in AD 1620 during the rule of Nayaks in
Thanjavur. Purantharadasar (AD
1484 - 1564) of Karnataka
State is known as the "Father of Carnatic Music". He introduced
the basic music learning process based on Mayamalavagoulai Ragam.

Key ContentSpiritualism
has been the key content of Carnatic music. The beautiful interweaving of
the devotional element and aesthetics has made it ethereal and eternal.
The basic idea behind compositions has been to see and seek God. In fact,
it has been said that the easiest way to attain salvation is to sing the
greatness of the Almighty.

Eminent Composers Of Carnatic Music
Many eminent composers have enriched traditional Carnatic music. One of
its greatest composers was Thyagaraja, who is regarded by many as a saint.
Besides him, Muthuswami Deekshithar and Shyama Shastri are the other two
composers who constitute the three pillars of Carnatic music. All the
three belonged to Tamil Nadu and they enriched Carnatic music with
compositions in their individual styles and it is their compositions that
yet constitute the core of the concert repertoire. Following in the
footsteps of these three, a multitude of composers appeared on the scene
including Subbaraya Shastri, Annaswami Shastri, Ananta Bharati, Patnam
Subrahmania Iyer, Vaiyacheri Ramaswami Iyer, Subbarama Dikshitar and
Ramanathapuram 'Poochi' Srinivasa Iyengar. Among latter-day composers, the
contributions of Mayuram Vishwanatha Shastri and Papanasam Sivan also
deserve mention here.

Languages Used
In Carnatic music, all the South Indian languages have been used
prolifically, in addition to the ancient classical Indian language,
Sanskrit. The Telugu language has been especially widely used in the
compositions. There is also a wide repertoire in Tamil
and Kannada, and a smaller range in Malayalam. Occasionally, songs in more
northern languages like Marathi, Hindi and Braj Bhasha (language) have
been incorporated into Carnatic music. This adds to the rich variety of a
Carnatic music performance.

Dress Code
The dress code adopted by the Carnatic music performers is typically the
traditional South Indian type. The male singers usually wear a Dhoti and
Kurta. Generally, the attire is made of cotton or silk, but sometimes, the
format has been maintained with slight innovations. The female singers are
generally, dressed in saris, with typical South Indian jewellery to go
with the dress. The women singers also typically wear flowers in their
hair. This dress code has been maintained over several years.

Place Of Performance
In olden days, Carnatic music was performed in temples. That culture has
been carried on to this day. Apart from this, performances are held in
Sabhas, which are organisations that preserve this traditional art through
a professional set up.

Occasions
It is customary for most of the South Indian temples and other
organisations to have Carnatic music concerts during the major Hindu
festivals. Apart from this, it is a regular practice to have the
traditional wind instrument of
South
India , Nagaswaram
in temples (for daily temple processions, apart from festival time special
prayers). Carnatic music concerts are also performed in marriages and
other grand Hindu rituals.

Today, Carnatic music also has a global presence. Many musicians are
performing internationally and there is a rapid cultural growth in various
foreign countries, including USA, Canada, France, Germany, U.K., South
Africa, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia and China (mainly Hong Kong).

South Indians abroad have taken the initiative to popularise this
traditional art form. During the last two decades, music has been taught,
practised and performed in these countries by Indians settled there. This
has also induced several foreigners to learn and perform this traditional
art form, in addition to writing about it.